Books like It's Not About the Burqa by Mariam Khan

Alice Walker's 1982 novel, The Color Purple, won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, exploring the lives of black women in the South and their experiences of abuse and struggle for independence.

A candid memoir of Trevor Noah’s childhood in apartheid‑era South Africa, blending humor, heart, and social insight as he navigates a world where he was never meant to exist.

Americanah follows Ifemelu, a Nigerian student who moves to the United States for university, exploring her life and love across continents while reflecting on identity, immigration, and cultural belonging.

Twelve Black British women and people of diverse identities share intertwined stories across Britain, revealing family ties, love, and social change.

In NoViolet Bulawayo’s debut novel, Darling and her friends in the small Zimbabwean town of Paradise smile for strangers while navigating theft, charity gifts, and pop‑culture dreams of America and Britain.

A non‑fiction work that shines a light on the oppression of women in developing countries, offering case studies of survivors and exploring how empowering women drives economic progress.

A classic of feminism, *Backlash* exposes the backlash against women's rights.

An autobiographical account of G. Willow Wilson’s journey from atheist to Muslim, detailing her move to Cairo, her relationships, and her attempts to merge American and Islamic cultures.

"Frequent reports of honor killings, disfigurement, and sensational abuse have given rise to a consensus in the West, a message propagated by human rights groups and the media: Muslim women need to be rescued. Lila Abu-Lughod boldly challenges this conclusion. An anthropologist who has been writing about Arab women for thirty years, she delves into the predicaments of Muslim women today, questioning whether generalizations about Islamic culture can explain the hardships these women face and asking what motivates particular individuals and institutions to promote their rights." -- Publisher website.

Advance Praise for Behind the Burqa "Whenever and wherever adults make war, children die and women are subjected to fear and humiliation. This is true of Afghanistan too. Read this harrowing book. The tragic yet heroic tale of two women is told with great simplicity. They will haunt you." -Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate "The stories of Sulima and Hala achingly articulate the twin and enduring legacies of misogyny and violence. A critical historical document, Behind the Burqa ultimately reveals the unbreakable strength of Afghan women." -Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues Founder and Artistic Director, V-Day "Behind the Burqa provides important information about conditions in Afghanistan, as well as the plight of asylum-seekers in the United States. I highly recommend this book to all people who are concerned about human rights, both at home and abroad." -Senator Sam Brownback, (R. Kansas) ranking member, Immigration Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary "This book is a gripping reading experience, and it also offers important suggestions for those who would like to participate in making our asylum politics more humane." -Eleanor Acer, Director, Asylum Program, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights "This book shows the injustices suffered by innocent women seeking asylum in the U. S. and the power of religious faith to provide hope and courage even in prison." -Fauziya Kassindja, author of Do They Hear You When You Cry "Sulima and Hala epitomize the worldwide struggle of women for equality and justice. Their story is gripping and illuminating." -Jessica Neuwirth, President of Equality Now

"Today, the issue of Muslim women is held hostage between two extreme perceptions: that of a rigid and conservative Islamic approach and that of a Western ethnocentric and Islamophobic approach. These two perceptions lead to an impasse in which it is virtually impossible, given how embedded ideas are fixed to respective certainties, to conceive of a fair and objective debate aimed at clarifying the two perspectives. Nevertheless, recent developments mean that at the heart of this intellectual effervescence, Muslim women are seeking to reclaim their right to speak in order to re-appropriate their own destinies. Indeed, today many female Muslim intellectuals living in Muslim societies and in the West, are questioning a number of negative preconceptions surrounding these issues. In particular, they contest the classical analysis which stipulates inequality between men and women and the attendant discriminatory measures, as being an inherent part of the sacred text by asserting that it is in fact certain biased readings, endorsed by patriarchal customs, which have legitimated these erroneous inequalities.This new perspective argues that Muslim women should be free to make their own choices, to rewrite their history and to define their own spaces of freedom - a freedom that is firmly anchored in a spiritual belonging but which is open on all human experiences and is ready to share with others - all others - the Qur'an's universal values of ethics and justice." --Provided by publisher.